#hwaa

Song : HWAA

Artist : (G)I-DLE

Countdown for Minnie's solo album

K-pop's biggest underdog

I wouldn't call myself a K-pop enthusiast, but I can appreciate a good voice and a well-produced song no matter the genre, and Minnie, the Thai-born member of K-pop girl group (G)I-DLE, not only has one of the most captivating voices out there, but she's also a hell of a good producer and songwriter.

I discovered (G)I-DLE early this year after I finally gave in to watching their performance in Killing Voice. At this point, I was already familiar with Queencard and Super Lady, but as bombastic as the Super Lady music video is, neither song did anything for me. However, Minnie's voice in the first lines of Queencard caught my attention. I became curious to know if her voice was in fact that dreamy or if it was just part of the effect added during post-production, and oh boy...her voice is that and more.

They started the set in Killing Voice with their debut single, Latata, the first time Minnie's distinctive "Uh, Uh" appears and perfectly showcases her characteristic earthy tone. Lion and Oh My God came after, both songs with very famous lines from Minnie. But it's her delivery in My Bag that got me completely on my knees.

After this, I gave (G)I-DLE's discography a shot, and even though most of their singles are pretty good (Lion should be on everyone's best K-pop songs ever list), the b-sides were the standouts. I remember there were 4 songs that I kept replaying repeatedly: Dahlia, Moon, Lucid, and the song that made me a fan, Escape. After some more digging, I was surprised to find out that they produced their own music (all of their singles and pre-release singles are produced by Soyeon), and most of the b-sides are produced by Yuqi or Minnie. When looking at the credits, I discovered that not only the 4 most replayed songs, but all the other b-sides that caught my attention had something in common: Minnie co-produced and wrote/co-wrote them. I didn't have any other choice but to jump on Minnie's bandwagon, and I'm afraid there's no way back.

Solo debut

Minnie has confirmed that her highly-anticipated solo debut should come out after the band's latest mini-album, I Sway. Since the band is currently on tour and Minnie mentioned her desire to have her album in spring or winter, word on the street is that the company is preparing for a January/February release.

꽃피우리라 "The new blossom grows"